The economic driver that is the technology industry can be hard to get a handle on, but a piece in WKOW provides some needed perspective. The tech-heavy S&P has seen its market value climb 13% this year. That means an additional $7.6 trillion in market value. And the driver of that increase? Not data center companies like Amazon or Microsoft. Rather, it’s companies that make the processor chips that drive data centers. WKOW reports that chip stocks account for 37% of those gains. As for companies like Microsoft and Meta? Their stocks have dropped in the last owing to the billions they’re spending on AI infrastructure. 

While Virginia is joining the chorus of those who believe the answer to data center growth is to drop anchor and say no, Anchorage, Alaska, is saying yes in a way that works for industry and the city. Key to its success has been defining what a data center is. “Anchorage’s data center definition … treats small and large facilities differently, scaling regulation to the size and intensity of the proposed facility,” reads a report in SmartCitiesDive. The ordinance is a “middle ground,” says Anna Brawley of the Anchorage Assembly. “It’s not a moratorium. It’s not a ban. It says if you’re building one of these, this is where they’re contemplated.” It’s one of several ways that Anchorage and Aurora, Illinois, are balancing public concerns and the fiscal benefits data centers bring. All the solutions discussed come down to one simple idea: “there is now starting to be a much more serious engagement and understanding that there is a need to get out in front and answer questions with the community.”

Finally, are moratoria really moratoria? This harsh-sounding term is actually quite nuanced – something VFP wrote about earlier this week. Investors Business Daily explains at the level of the states how this plays out. Comparing New York (the one “true” moratorium), Texas (The biggest pipeline), and Pennsylvania (the Banana peel strategy), the article teases out the political games being played to quell dissent on one hand side while creating space to find a viable solution to keep the growth and benefits coming. What’s it all boil down to? “‘While the moratoriums may direct regulators and government departments to conduct studies of data centers’ energy, water, and community impacts, it’s unclear how these studies will translate to new regulations and how they will impact how data centers are developed,’ said Rachel Mural, a senior research associate at Harvard’s Kennedy School.”